Debbie Rowe

In a change of plans, Debbie Rowe, the mother of two of Michael Jackson's children, now says she won't attend his memorial on Tuesday.

"The onslaught of media attention has made it clear her attendance would be an unnecessary distraction to an event that should focus exclusively on Michael's legacy," her attorney, Marta Almli, says. "Debbie will continue to celebrate Michael's memory privately."

Rowe, the biological mother of Paris, 11, and Prince Michael I, 12, has sent mixed signals about whether she will seek custody. The children are currently in the care of their temporary guardian, Jackson's mother Katherine, who has said she'll fight for permanent control. Jackson has a third child known as Blanket, 7, whose mother is unknown.

A fierce custody battle is brewing over two of Michael Jackson's children, with their mother relaying word Thursday that she plans to fight for them in court, and the Jackson family signaling they will fight right back.

Debbie Rowe, the mother of Prince, 12, and Paris, 11, spoke to her former attorney Iris Finsilver, who says, "She is going to be pursuing custody of the children."

"Frankly, she won't have to fight for them," Finsilver tells PEOPLE. "She is the children's biological mother. She loves her children."

In the wake of Michael Jackson's death, Debbie Rowe, the singer's ex-wife and mother of his two eldest kids, has left multiple messages for the Jackson family in hopes of getting in touch – though she's been unsuccessful – a friend tells PEOPLE.

"We've been trying to reach them at different numbers," says Marc Schaffel, a former Jackson business associate who's close with Rowe. "But we don't know if who we've been leaving messages with have gotten the messages."

Rowe is the legal parent of Prince Michael, 12, and Paris, 11, and can get custody of them if she chooses. Jackson's third child, Blanket, 7, was born to an unnamed surrogate.